Search - Memento on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Profanity, Drug Content Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 09/04/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 50 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 14 Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Post-Noir (Modern Noir), Crime Thriller See Also: Memento [Limited Edition], Memento [Blu-ray]

A man is determined to find justice after the loss of a loved one, even though he is incapable of fully remembering the crime, in this offbeat thriller. Leonard (Guy Pearce) is a man who is struggling to put his life back together after the brutal rape and murder of his wife. But Leonard's problems are different from those of most people in his situation; he was beaten severely by the same man who killed his wife. The most significant manifestation of Leonard's injuries is that his short-term memory has been destroyed; he is incapable of retaining any new information, and must resort to copious note-taking and Polaroid photographs in order to keep track of what happens to him over the course of a day (he's even tattooed himself with a few crucial bits of information he can't get along without). Leonard retains awareness that his wife was brutally murdered, however, and he's convinced that the culprit still walks the streets. Leonard is obsessed with the notion of taking revenge against the man who has ruined his life, and he sets out to find him, getting help from Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), who appears to be a sympathetic barmaid, and Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), who claims to be Leonard's friend, even though Leonard senses that he cannot be trusted. Writer/director Christopher Nolan adapted Memento from a short story by his brother Jonathan Nolan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Guy Pearce - Leonard
Carrie-Anne Moss - Natalie
Joe Pantoliano - Teddy
Stephen Tobolowsky - Sammy

Director Christopher Nolan's clever, and at times puzzling, thriller Memento is presented on DVD, but the real mystery is why more wasn't done with this acclaimed film on a format that practically invites innovation. On the bright side, the image is first-rate, with an anamorphic transfer framed at the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. There are few signs that this was a lower budget independent film, as the picture is sharp, with little wear, and constantly conveys the theatrical experience. Offering both Dolby Digital 5.1 and two-channel surround tracks, the sound on this release is also well defined. Though there is a very limited use of the rear speakers, all other sounds are clearly reproduced up front. Fans of this intelligent film highly anticipated a special edition, but their hopes were quickly squashed by the reality that supplemental materials are unfortunately rather thin. The main extra is a 23-minute IFC interview with director Christopher Nolan covering this film, his previous movie Following, and his influences. The remaining features are brief and less interesting, including a comparison of the tattoos with original concept art, a section that allows viewing of elements from the movie's website, theatrical trailers for this film and the aforementioned Following, a television spot, and some brief cast and director biographies. Finally -- and curiously not mentioned on the box -- the full original story from Jonathan Nolan that inspired the movie is included. This is unquestionably a film that begs for an audio commentary, or at least an in-depth documentary. Sadly, they are not included, though with the way things work, expect a special edition sometime down the line. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide